Hydraulic dislodger for unblocking feed chutes of rock crushers



March 3, 1970 L N` K1N-r ET AL 3,498,436

HYDRAULIC DISLODGER FOR UNBLOCKING FEED CHUTES OF ROCK CRUSHERS Flled Sept. 15. 1967 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 "BJMMWMW March 3, 1970 Filed Sept. 15, 1967 L. N. K1N-r ET AL. 3,498,436

HYDRAULIC DISLODGER'FOR 'UNBLOCKING FEED CHUTES 0F ROCK CRUSHERS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 United States Patent O 3,498,436 HYDRAULIC DISLODGER FOR UNBLOCKING FEED CHUTES OF ROCK CRUSHERS Leonard N. Kint and Albert B. Hanse, Cedar Rapids,

Iowa, assignors to Pettibone Corporation, a corporation of Delaware Filed Sept. 15, 1967, Ser. No. 667,964 Int. Cl. B65g 11/00, 47/26, 25/04 U.S. Cl. 193-17 4 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE INTRODUCTION The invention of which the present disclosure is offered for public dissemination in the event adequate patent protection is available, relates to rock Crushers and more particularly to the problem of the clogging of the feed chutes of rock crushers by rocks which bridge across between the side walls of the chute.

In the past the occasional bridging of rock across the feed passage has been a serious problem. The usual remedy has been to shut down the operation and use levers or sledge hammers for dislodging the rock by manual operation. In one effort at improvement, conceived by one of the present inventors, a pneumatic ram in connection with the slideway of the chute could be operated in an effort to move the bridged rock, but this has lacked the high degree of dependability in its operation which would make it commercially successful.

According to the present invention, a longitudinally extending intermediate section of the slideway is separate from the remainder of the slideway and can be raised by a hydraulic cylinder to strike the bridged rock in the intermediate zone thereof and thereby dislodge the bridged rock. The present experience has indicated a very high degree of dependability of the dislodging operation.

A skirt curved about the pivotal axis gives protection against failure due to flying rock fragments lodging under the movable section when raised.

Additional objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description, and from the drawings.

DESIGNATION OF FIGURES FIG. l is a fragmentary vertical sectional view.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken approximately on the plane of line 2-2 of FIG. l.

FIG. 3 is a detail view broken away to a section along line 3-3 of FIG. 2 and showing the protective box for the cylinder.

Although the following disclosure offered for public dissemination is detailed to ensure adequacy and aid understanding, this is not intended to prejudice that purpose of a patent which is to cover each new inventive concept therein no matter how others may later disguise it by variations in form or additions or further improvements. The claims at the end hereof are intended as the chief aid toward this purpose, as it is these that meet the requirement of pointing out the parts, improvements, or combinations in which the inventive concepts are found.

ICC

GENERAL DESCRIPTION The invention has been illustrated in cbnfunction with a rock Crusher which has a main housing 11, a hammer rotor 12 and a feed chute structure 13. The feed chute structure 13 has been illustrated as including a grizzly having bars 14 extending longitudinally and between which the smaller pieces of rock, not needing crushing, can fall to discharge. The rock is usually fed by a feeder 15 and dumped down the feed chute, sliding on bars 14 and between side walls 13 which guide it into the main body of the crusher where it enters the path of the hammers on the hammer rotor 12 thereby being crushed.

DISLODGING MECHANISM According to the present invention, the central set of the bars 14 are Welded to cross members and gussets, etc. to form a weldment on platen 17 pivoted by a shaft 16. This frame may be actuated by a hydraulic cylinder 18 having a piston 19. The cylinder 18 is carried by a yoke or box 2-1 supported by cross beam 22 secured to grizzly bars 14A. Any non-elevating grizzly bars 14B between bars 14A and platen 17 are supported at their lower ends by beam 22. In this manner the entire assembly may be adjusted together if the grizzly is mounted for such adjustability.

In the event that rock bridges across from one side wall 13 to the other, it is merely necessary to supply hydraulic pressure fluid to the lower end of cylinder 18 thereby causing the piston rod 19 to be ejected, thus raising the platen 17 and the grizzly bars 14 carried by it. If a feed plate is used instead of a grizzly, the platen surface would be a plate substituted for the grizzly bars. In either event, the raised portion of the feed slideway will strike the lower side of the bridging rocks in the general intermediate area thereof and dislodge the bridged rocks.

It is important that the platen be less than the full width of the feed chute because in that event it might merely press more firmly against the side wall a piece of rock which has already lodged against the side wall. By pressing at an intermediate zone, as illustrated, it is almost inevitable that the rock will be dislodged. In the case of a single large rock bridged between the two sides, the lower part of the rock will be restrained by the wall against which it bears, and the hydraulic actuation of the platen will tip the rock to dislodge it from the far side. `In the case of two or three rocks which jointly bridge between the walls, the platen will raise or similarly tilt one rock, allowing the others to drop free.

The preferred lateral dimension of the raisable portion of the feed slideway is from about one-fourth to approximately eighty percent of the width of the feed passage or chute.

The construction of platen 17 is reasonably apparent from FIGS. 1 and 2. The vertical grizzly members 14C at the extreme sides are full length, and have welded between them an angle bar 31 and a beam 32. The intermediate grizzly bars 14 are welded to these, being notched to be supported by beam 32. Shaft 16 passes through snugly fitting apertures in the two side bars 14C and in a plurality of block 33 welded within angle bar 31.

At their lower ends, bars 14 are supported 'by a beam 34 extending between the side bars 14C. Also extending between these side bars is a plate 36 which midway of its length (the width of the platen) carries a mounting member 37 to which the clevis 38 of the piston rod 19 is pivoted. In its lowered position, plate 36 seats on cross beam 41 welded to extreme side bars 14A, and braced by gussets 42 welded to the beam 41 and to the side bars 14A.

Inasmuch as the breaking or bursting of rocks by the hammers on rotor 12 causes many fragments to fly in all directions, it is important to prevent any fragments from passing under the plate 36 where they may lodge and prevent the return of the platen 17 to its normal position. To this end, a skirt 44 is provided as part of the platen. This skirt is welded to the under surface of plate 36 and braced by gussets 46 welded to the plate and to the skirt. These gussets 46 are also welded to cross rbeam 34 to brace it. The skirt 44 has a curvature about the axis of the shaft 16, so that it may maintain quite close clearance with the cross beam 41'. As a matter of manufacturing practice, a shim bar will 'be added along the face of beam 41 adjacent skirt 44 along the upper edge of beam 41, so that if necessary the desired small clearance between skirt 44 and this shim bar may be provided by grinding down the shim bar.

When the platen 17 is in the form of a grizzly, rock will Ibe falling toward cylinder 18 and accordingly it is important that it be enclosed within a shield 21, illustrated in the form of a box as seen best in FIG. 3. Preferably the bottom of the box is provided with apertures 48 to drain any dust which may nd its way into the opening 49 for the piston 19.

All grizzly bars are preferably of the well known T-bar type, -being capped with plates 51 so that rock which passes between the caps will fall freely. Preferably the caps taper with reducing width downwardly lengthwise of the caps so that the spaces between the caps will not 'become clogged. All surfaces normally exposed to sliding or Hying rock are preferably made wear resistant, as by hardface welding.

A suitable hydraulic circuit, not shown, will be apparent from the foregoing. A suitable manual valve may supply fluid pressure, when desired through hose 56, to the bottom of cylinder 18. This cylinder may `be either single acting or double acting. In the latter event the manual valve can supply pressure fluid alternatively to the top of cylinder 18 through hose 57. Some purchasers may prefer that hose 18 be merely a drain line and that pressure fluid be wasted to tank at minimum pressure and almost no power consumption except at the rare times when the raising of platen 17 is needed. If pressure can be supplied at both ends, constant power consumption can still be avoided, as by having the manual valve lock cylinder 18 hydraulically while returning the pumped uid freely.

From the foregoing it is seen that a feed chute for rock Crushers is provided in which there is high reliability in dislodging bridged rock with minimum down time and without any heavy work, merely iby flipping a valve.

The term rock crusher is used in the generic sense of whether the material fed is rock or other rock-like material.

We claim:

1. A rock crusher feed chute including a sloping slideway, side walls along opposite sides thereof between which rocks may bridge and clog the feed passage, and means for dislodging bridged rocks characterized by:

the slideway having a separate intermediate platen extending longitudinally along the zone of likely blockage,- and normally at a level forming a continuous slideway with the remainder of the slideway, and fluid cylinder means for raising said platen above said level to dislodge bridging rocks.

2. A rock crusher feed chute according to claim 1 in which the platen is hinged at its upper end and is raised by a swinging action.

3. A rock crusher feed chute according to claim 1 in which the platen is provided with a downwardly extending skirt which, when the platen is raised, blocks entry under it of fragments of rock from the crusher being fed.

4. A rock crusher feed chute according to claim 2 in which the platen is provided with a downwardly extending skirt which, when the platen is raised, 'blocks entry under it of fragments of rock from the crusher being fed, the skirt being curved about the axis of the hinge and moving closely past fixed structure.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 337,863 3/1886 Petrie 1982l9 2,658,608 1l/l953 Wehmller 198-219 3,056,482 10/1962 Lanham 198-30 ANDRES H. NIELSEN, Primary Examiner U.S. Cl. X.R. 198--30, 219 

